Today marks ten years since the iPhone was revealed to tech lovers the world over.  But the release of the ground-breaking smartphone did more than just introduce millions to Apple’s cutting-edge technology. It’s hard to believe that any of the developers of the iPhone could have predicted the colossal impact that the smartphone would have on the world today.

A Whole New Platform

For digital marketers, the innovation that smartphones have led in terms of outreach, engagement and content distribution is astronomical. Who could have imagined that one day we would be able to browse Facebook, bid for products on eBay, and order a takeaway on our way home from work, all with nothing more than a flick of a thumb? In 2017, there will be 2.3 billion smartphone users worldwide, and more than 60 per cent of all mobile phone users will use a smartphone by 2020.

Cathy Boyle, Principal Analyst (Mobile), eMarketer, says: “2017 is a milestone year, not only because it marks the tenth anniversary of Apple’s launch of the iPhone, but because the world will pass the smartphone tipping point in 2017.  For the first time, more than half of the world’s mobile phone users (53.1 per cent, according to eMarketer’s estimate) will regularly use a smartphone. Now more than ever, success for businesses hinges on how quickly they learn and adapt to how smartphones are changing the way people communicate, consume media, engage with brands and shop.”

To Infinity And Beyond

The smartphone has put brands right into the hands of their potential leads, and digital marketing methods have adapted and evolved in line with the flourishing innovation. From the QR code scanner, to Siri, to GPS tracking, customer engagement is at once simpler and more complex than ever before. Brands intent on keeping up with the trends have been quick to take advantage of the smartphone’s technological developments, developing their own apps, optimising their mobile sites, and developing comprehensive security systems to encourage payments from mobile.

Mobile, with incredible regularity, sets the bar which digital marketers aim to reach in terms of user experience, connectivity and accessibility. Ten Years ago, we could never have imagined that we could pay our restaurant bills via an app, or for a taxi to find us via GPS. We have the iPhone to thank for a huge proportion of our digital lives, driving the competition that will bring us closer and closer to the sci-fi world we dreamed of as children.